Ingenious Animals

BBC, September 1st @ 21:00 CET A team of wildlife experts travel the globe in search of the most surprising animal stories and reveal how and why animals do such remarkable things. In the first episode, the programme explores the incredible world of animal intelligence. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is in Florida to investigate the unexpected relationship between the alligator and the manatee, which has experts baffled. Zoologist Lucy Cooke visits Canada and the Bahamas to find out how humans may be making the raccoon even smarter. Biologist Patrick Aryee is in Cambodia to test the intelligence of the sun bear, and he finds out how the rat has become an unexpected hero as part of a mine-detection squad. Conservationist Giles Clark is in Kenya to find out if elephants feel empathy. Can a herd of orphan elephants use it to help a very special baby? We also find out how research is leading us to question long-held beliefs about the intelligence of reptiles. Could they be a lot cleverer than previously thought? episode 1.